Adam Pierończyk – The Planet Of Eternal Life (2013)

Adam Pierończyk - soprano saxophone

JAZZWERKSTATT 149

By Adam Baruch

This is a solo soprano saxophone album recorded live by veteran Polish Jazz saxophonist/composer Adam Pierończyk. It comprises of fifteen tracks, twelve of which are his original compositions and the remaining three are standards. Pierończyk, who has been active on the scene since the late 1990s, has already an impressive discography to his credit listing dozens of albums both as a leader of various projects and as a sideman.

Solo saxophone albums are pretty rare phenomena in general, and those few that are actually recorded and released are usually associated with the Free Jazz/Improvised Music scene. Pierończyk is basically a modern mainstream player and therefore his music is based on clearly defined melody lines, as evident on this album as well. However, the intrinsic level of Freedom present on this album is much more extensive than in most mainstream recordings, basically putting this recording very much in a class of its own; somewhere between "melodic free" and "experimental mainstream". But labels aside, the musical content herein, and this is what really matters, is truly excellent from start to finish.

Pierończyk displays a wonderful fluency in his performances, as well as sensitivity and improvisational qualities, which place him among the finest soprano saxophone players around. This, combined with his beautiful tone, create some truly magic moments. Of course one must also praise his courage to face his audience exposed and alone, an act of artistic statement attempted by but a few.

The album might have a problem with finding listeners, who will be able to appreciate its beauty, since as already mentioned earlier, is sort of falls in between categories, One can only hope that true Jazz connoisseurs will be able to cross nonexistent boundaries and discover this gem and then enjoy it in full.